CORNWALL, Ontario – A group of Cornwall residents is preparing to open a new service in the city to help those who are dealing with mental health and addiction issues.
Help Addiction and Mental Health Recovery Services (Help AMHRS) Cornwall, a newly incorporated federal nonprofit organization, hopes to soon have a 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. emergency phone line setup to help those struggling with their mental health or addictions.
Madison Bennett, a co-founder of Help AMHRS said that everyone who is involved with this new services has dealt with mental health or addiction issues themselves and know that night time can be the toughest time for those who are struggling.
“Our goal is to offer support to people who need it, unfortunately, so many people need help right now,” Bennett said.
A particular issue that this new service wants to address is the necessity for those in need to call multiple services, sometimes multiple times, before they receive any help.
“It can be hard enough to make a call the first time let alone a second time or a third,” said Bennett.
In addition to the emergency phone service, the group also hopes to soon be able to open a crisis bed in the City of Cornwall where those experiencing withdrawal, drug addiction, or homelessness can stay while they are waiting to be connected to other services.
Help AMHRS has already made connections with location organizations like the Conrwall Police Service, The Canadian Mental Health Association, the Akwesasne Healing Centre, and the Children’s Aid Society, which supported the group with a donation of $25,000.
If Help AMHRS is successful in their current funding applications, they hope to be up and running by late December or early January 2022.
On Oct. 2, Help AMHRS will be participating in Cornwall’s Recovery Day in Lamoreux Park. Over 20 booths will be setup in the park from all local organizations that are involved in supporting personal recovery.
